| Native name | 福居ショウジン |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 29 July 1961 |
| Birth place | Japan |
| Death date | 2 April 2026 (aged 64) |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1984–2026 |
| Movement | Japanese cyberpunk |
| Website | http://www.honekoubou.jp/ |
Shozin Fukui (福居ショウジン, Fukui Shōjin, 29 July 1961 – 2 April 2026)[1] was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was best known for his contributions to the cyberpunk genre.[2][3]
Life and career
While attending university, Fukui worked for a video company shooting live performances. During his time as a student, he produced three short films: Chaser of the Ranger, Scourge of Blood and Metal Days.
Fukui produced six experimental shorts—Scourge of Blood, Metal Days, Gerorisuto, Caterpillar,[4] S-94 and The Hiding[5]—along with two full-length films, 964 Pinocchio (1991)[6] and Rubber's Lover (1996).[7][8] 964 Pinocchio is often compared to the cyberpunk classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) directed by Shinya Tsukamoto.[9]
Excluding Metal Days, Fukui's films were widely available, having been issued on DVD by Unearthed Films. However, these releases have since gone out of print. Fukui has released four films since then, Onne,[10] Den-Sen, The Hiding,[11] and S-94.[12]
Fukui worked as an assistant director during Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man.[13] Many fans and critics consider Fukui's aesthetic to be different enough from Tsukamoto's for Fukui's films to stand on their own, even considering the similarities.[14]
Fukui died on 2 April 2026.[15] This came shortly after his production company, Honekoubou, resumed their activity in 2025 to organize a retrospective of the director's filmography.[16] The retrospective included two screenings of Metal Days, a film that has long been sought after by fans due to its unavailability.[17]
Filmography
| Title | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chaser of the Ranger | Unknown | |
| Scourge of Blood | 1984 | |
| Metal Days | 1986 | |
| Gerorisuto | 1986 | |
| Caterpillar | 1988 | |
| 964 Pinocchio | 1991 | |
| Rubber's Lover | 1996 | |
| Hentai Randō | 2004 | |
| Onne | 2006 | |
| Den-Sen | 2006 | |
| Derenai | 2007 | Directors cut of Onne |
| The Hiding | 2008 | |
| S-94 | 2009 |
References
- ^ "Profile: Director Shozin Fukui", Subtitled Online, 28 October 2017, archived from the original on 2012-03-31, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Diving Into the Surreal: An Interview With Shozin Fukui, Master of Japanese Cyberpunk!", Severed Cinema, 14 June 2023, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Crypt of Curiosities: Shozin Fukui's Cyberpunk Films", Daily Dead, 10 August 2018, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "'Caterpillar': Shozin Fukui's Trippy Nightmare", Far Out Magazine, 11 April 2023, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "The Hiding". IFFR EN. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
- ^ "964 Pinocchio Remains the Most Distinctive (and Disturbing) Adaptation of the Fairy Tale Classic", Collider, 26 October 2022, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Rubber's Lover", Cyberpunk Review, 20 February 2006, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "The Horror Geek Speaks: Rubber's Lover - A Japanese Cyberpunk Classic Courtesy of Shozin Fukui", IGN, 5 April 2005, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Pinocchio 964 (1992)", The New York Times, archived from the original on 2011-05-20, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Onne (2006)", Kinorium, 17 March 2006, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Shozin Fukui Special", Nippon Connection, 10 April 2010, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "S-94", Midnight Eye, 22 December 2009, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "A Guide to Japanese Cyberpunk Cinema With Three of Its Visionary Directors", Dazed Digital, 8 May 2020, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Post-Human Nightmares – The World of Japanese Cyberpunk Cinema", Midnight Eye, 13 May 2011, retrieved 26 June 2024
- ^ "Shozin Fukui (1961–2026)". Die Zukunft. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Honekoubou - About Us". www.honekoubou.jp. Archived 2026-04-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ^ "Honekoubou - News". www.honekoubou.jp. Archived 2026-04-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-04-14.